


Mulan 1.5: Stealth Mission

by BookishBrigitta



Category: Mulan (1998)
Genre: Comedy of Errors, Drama, F/M, Gallows Humor, Inspired by Downton Abbey, Mischief, Period-Typical Sexism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22393606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookishBrigitta/pseuds/BookishBrigitta
Summary: The Emperor invites Mulan to stay at the palace before leaving for home.  But when one of the Emperor’s daughters turns up at her door in the middle of the night, it’s clear the adventure isn’t over yet.  Mulan and Shang must save the Royal Family from scandal and dishonor, all before sunrise.Or….a shameless adaptation of Downton Abbey Season 1, Episode 3.  RIP Mr. Pamuk.
Relationships: Fa Mulan/Li Shang
Comments: 5
Kudos: 110





	Mulan 1.5: Stealth Mission

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger/Content Warning: When the princess first shows up, Mulan fears she might have been assaulted. That is NOT the case, but I wanted to put up a warning in case the insinuation would upset anyone. Fanfiction should be a fun, safe space, and I would hate to have someone be hurt because I didn't give sufficient warning. <3

Mulan sighed as she settled into the soft, silk sheets, still getting over the shock of everything that had happened that day. She could hardly comprehend that a day which had begun with her trudging, disgraced, down the side of a mountain had ended with the Emperor insisting that she--and the other heroes of China--stay the night at what was left of the palace. Had she been any less exhausted, she might have felt unsettled by the luxury surrounding her, for she was certain the embroidered curtains alone cost more than her family’s house. But she didn’t have much time to ponder this; she was so tired that she nearly fell asleep before she could pull the coverlet over herself.

Alas, painfully short was her respite. Mere hours later, she was abruptly wrenched from sleep by a knock at the door. With her army training, she was in her borrowed dressing gown and at the door before the interloper had another chance to knock. Standing in the corridor was a distressed young woman, a bit younger than Mulan herself. Her hair was falling out of the long braid down her back, and she dried her eyes on the sleeve of her nightgown before she spoke.

“Fa Mulan. It is an honor to meet you,” the girl said in the soft, clipped tones of nobility. “I am Princess Jingfei.”

Mulan bowed deeply. “The honor is all mine, your highness.”

“I am sorry to disturb you at this late hour, but I could think of no one else to trust.” The princess’s voice wavered on the last syllable.

“Come inside, your highness,” said Mulan, ushering her to a padded bench at the foot of the bed. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Jingfei shook her head.

“It’s alright, your highness. You can tell me,” Mulan soothed.

The princess took a shaky breath. “There is a guard in my room.”

Mulan nodded encouragingly.

“And he’s dead!” Jingfei clapped a hand over her mouth with a sob.

“Was there an intruder, your highness?” Mulan asked sharply, preparing for another battle.

“No.”

“Did...did he force himself on you?”

“No, no, nothing like that. I was--He--We were together, and now he’s dead, and I don’t know what to do!” the princess wailed.

There was no time to be scandalized; Mulan was already hatching a plan. 

“We need to get him out of your room and into his own bed,” she said resolutely.

“How? The guards’ wing is halfway across the palace!”

“Between the two of us, do you think we could lift him, your highness?”

Jingfei shook her head again. “No, he’s heavier than he looks. I could barely get out from under him--oh, what have I done!” she cried, putting her face in her hands and slumping against Mulan’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, your highness. We’ll sort it out. We just need someone to help us.”

“But who?” asked Jingfei despairingly. 

“Let me worry about that. Now, your highness, I think it would be best if you made your way back to your room while I get help. If you could just tell me where to find your room, I’ll meet you there.”

“It’s the fifth on the right in the princesses’ corridor,” Jingfei said as she reached for the door handle. 

“Give me ten minutes, your highness.”

* * *

Shang awoke to find one hand covering his mouth and another pinning his shoulder to the bed. _The Huns! They’re back!_

“Shang, stop! It’s just me.”

There was Mulan, softly illuminated by candlelight. She let him go, and he sighed in relief.

“Mulan, what are you doing? I could have killed you!”

“Keep your voice down,” she hissed. “I only did it so you wouldn’t wake up half the palace.”

“Why are you here, Mulan?” he asked wearily.

“Princess Jingfei came to my room asking for help. I need backup.”

Before she finished speaking, he was upright and tugging on his shoes.

“Is the princess in danger?” 

“Not exactly.”

Shang raised an eyebrow.

“Just come with me. And don’t make a sound.”

* * *

Nothing could have prepared him for the chaos inside the princess’s bedroom. The princess herself sat on a cushion with her knees pulled to her chest, sobbing profusely, but silently. The floor was peppered with bits of armor--palace guard armor, by the looks of it. The bedclothes hung off the bed in every direction, as if they’d tried to make a run for it. And face-down on the bed was a grayish-looking young man who, thank the ancestors, had all his important bits covered by a blanket.

 _“What happened?”_ Shang whispered harshly.

“I’m afraid her highness’s guest has been called away permanently.” Then, upon seeing his expression, she hastily added, “But I can assure you, no one was hurt.”

“No one was--Mulan, a man is dead!” he hissed with a pointed jab towards the bad.

Jingfei gave a particularly loud sob at this, and Mulan rushed to comfort her.

“You’re not helping,” she spat, glaring at him over the top of Jingfei’s head.

“I apologize, your highness,” he said with a bow. “It was not my intention to upset you.”

“It’s alright, Captain,” Jingfei said. “I know you did not mean any harm. I’m just rather shaken up at the moment.”

The princess brushed away a tear with the back of her hand. Shang produced a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do, your highness.” Then he turned to Mulan. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you.”

“Look, I get it,” she said. “It’s a lot to process. Take all the time you need. Or, well, not _all_ the time. The scullery maids will be up in a few hours to do the fires, and we’ll need to get him back before then.”

“Get him back?”

“Back to his room. Her highness and I can’t carry him alone--why do you think I woke you up?”

“Honestly? I don’t know, Mulan, but after what happened yesterday, I figured it was worth finding out. But now I see I was wrong. This is _insane_! Do you have any idea what would happen if this gets out? At the very least, I’d be kicked out of the army!”

“You joined the army to serve and honor your country. Well, this is your chance. Because if you don’t help us, the Imperial Family will be part of a scandal that won’t be forgotten within this dynasty. Do you think that will help our foreign relations, Captain?”

Mercy on him, she was just as intimidating in a dressing gown and slippers as she was in uniform. She blurred the line between soldier and woman, back straight, arms folded across her chest, chin held high and set resolutely. Her stare bore into him, and Shang wasn’t sure if he felt more like an anxious new recruit or a little boy caught sneaking sesame buns.

“I’ll do it,” he said, not quite able to meet her gaze.

“Thank you.” 

They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Mulan cleared her throat and said, “I think it’s best we take a moment to collect ourselves. Shang, if you would gather the guard’s armor? And your highness, perhaps we should straighten out your hair?”

Jingfei, who had been weeping quietly throughout the whole ordeal, nodded and handed Mulan a silver hairbrush.

“Would you do it?” she asked meekly. “I don’t think I can make my hands stop shaking.”

“Of course, your highness.”

Mulan took a seat behind the princess, undoing the ribbon that kept the remnants of Jingfei’s braid together and teasing the strands apart gently before using the brush. Shang was suddenly struck by the thought that Mulan would be an excellent mother: compassionate, devoted, and utterly unflappable. _Where had that idea come from?_

But unfortunately, those thoughts also reminded him of the matter at hand.

“Your highness, if I may ask a personal question?” he asked carefully.

“I think you’re beyond needing to ask, given the circumstances,” she replied.

“Before we get any further, I wanted to be certain there aren’t any, erm, _long-term consequences_ that might jeopardize the mission.”

Jingfei stared at him, perplexed, until Mulan whispered something in her ear, at which point she turned a brilliant shade of red and turned her gaze to her lap. 

The princess was quiet for a few long moments, and Shang was just about to apologize when she said, “No. He died before...Well, let’s just say that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about.”

Somehow, the atmosphere grew even more uncomfortable, and for a while, the only noise in the room was the rustling of Jingfei’s hair. Finally, Mulan tied off the end Jingfei’s new braid and said, “Your highness, we should get going soon. Are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied.

“Right. Your highness, you’ll be our lookout.” She handed the princess the candle and the neat bundle Shang had made of the guard’s clothes. Then, looking at Shang, she said, “Shall we?”

Without even having to discuss it, Mulan grabbed the guard’s legs while Shang lifted the man from under his arms. Mulan paused to fix the blanket more securely around the guard’s waist, and it was hard to tell if it was Shang or the princess who blushed more furiously when a lace garter tumbled from the blanket to the floor.

“Is there anyone in the corridor, your highness?” Mulan asked.

Jingfei cracked open the door and peeked outside. “No.”

“Then here we go.”

Carefully, the trio tip-toed their way through the palace, Jingfei walking a few paces ahead in case anyone happened to be roaming the corridors. They made it almost all the way to the guards’ wing before Jingfei blew out the candle and motioned for them to stop. She gestured to the movement which had caught her eye.

“It’s a curtain,” Mulan whispered once her eyes adjusted to the dark.

“Oh,” said Jingfei sheepishly.

“No, you did the right thing. Best to err on the side of caution.”

The princess nodded in thanks, and the macabre parade crept onward until they reached the guard’s quarters. They heaved the guard onto his bed, pulling the covers around him before retrieving the princess’s blanket from around his waist. Jingfei set his clothes on a trunk in the corner of the small room and then moved to stand beside the bed. She ghosted her delicate, white hand across his face.

“He was so kind,” she breathed, eyes brimming with tears.

Mulan gave her a sad smile as she tried to close the poor guard’s eyes. As soon as she removed her fingers, his lids popped open. Again and again, she tried to make them stay shut, but they kept snapping open stubbornly. It was almost comical, she thought. The girl who twice-defeated Shan Yu was bested by the eyelids of a corpse.

“Just leave it, Mulan,” Shang sighed. “He’s been dead too long, and we’re running out of time.”

With a resigned huff, she abandoned her quest and got back to business.

“You’ll need to take this back with you, your highness,” she said, handing the blanket to Jingfei. 

“But won’t it look suspicious if someone sees her?” Shang asked, causing a panicked expression to flit across the princess’s face.

“Well, we can’t very well leave it here for the maids to find. But you raise a good point.”

Mulan took the blanket from Jingfei and turned to face the wall. She unfastened her dressing gown and rucked up her nightgown and bandages. She held the blanket to the still-oozing wound, hissing quietly at the pain, before swiftly redressing and turning to face her companions. Then she handed the blanket, now sporting a bright red stain, back to Jingfei.

“There. If anyone stops you, you can say the curse came early this month.”

Shang blushed and looked at his feet, but he couldn’t deny the genius of her plan. He was, however, rather concerned at how much her wound still seemed to be bleeding…

But there was no time for that. They needed to get out of the guards’ wing and return the princess to her room as soon as possible. After checking to see that the corridor was clear, the trio trekked back through the palace. They stopped at the princesses’ corridor just as the sky began to take on the deep indigo color of early morning.

“Captain Li, Fa Mulan,” Jingfei said with a bow, “I will be forever grateful for all you have done for me tonight. I’m afraid I haven’t any way to repay the enormous debt I owe you both.”

“There is no need, your highness,” Mulan said sincerely. “It is not only our job, but our honor to defend and serve the Imperial family.”

They both bowed deeply and bid the princess goodnight. Jingfei returned to her room, and they found themselves alone--no Huns, no princesses, no missions to distract them. With her hair down and the green silk of her dressing gown reflecting the waning moonlight, Mulan looked absolutely ethereal as she stared out the window across the balcony. Again, Shang wondered how he went weeks without figuring out she was a woman. Perhaps, he thought wryly, she was an otherworldly being, some sort of shape-shifting goddess sent by the ancestors to save his life and then turn it upside-down.

“You don’t have to wait for me,” she said.

“What?” he said dumbly, still fighting his way out from under her spell.

“To go to bed. You don’t have to wait for me. I’m not going to be able to sleep anyway, so I thought I’d stretch my legs. Maybe get some fresh air.”

“I don’t think I’ll sleep either,” he said, a bit too quickly to be smooth. “I would be, uh, happy to accompany you, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Then, with a cunning smile, “Though, since there’s two of us...sparring match?”

Shang scoffed. “I don’t spar with the wounded.”

“I’m fine. I can hardly feel it,” Mulan insisted.

“Nice try. I saw how much you’re still bleeding, remember?”

She huffed and looked into the distance again.

“But perhaps a battle of wits?” he said, remembering a game on one of the shelves in his temporary room.

“That sounds wonderful,” she agreed, already moving down the corridor. “I’ll get us something to eat.”

He grabbed her hand before she could get too far. “Wait.”

She stopped and looked at him. He dropped her hand awkwardly.

“Maybe--Before--We should probably get some proper clothes on,” he fumbled. 

“Oh. Right. Wouldn’t want to cause a scandal after just barely avoiding one.”

“Exactly.”

* * *

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Mulan approached the spot Shang had staked out by the courtyard pond, gripping a tray laden with tea and steamed buns. She was wearing the same blue dress as the day before--probably the only one she had with her. In a sudden fit of chivalry, Shang untied his cape and spread it on the still-damp ground in front of him for her to sit on just as she set down the tray. She gave him a questioning look, but took a seat on the red fabric without saying anything.

“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show,” he said.

“Sorry. I had to be extra careful after what happened the last time I tried to serve tea.”

“What happened last time?”

“None of your business,” she said, focusing intently on unpacking the tray. 

He decided not to pry any further and reached for a bun. “Did you steal these from the kitchens?”

“I’m pretty sure they budget for feeding the army,” she replied cheekily.

They lapsed into companionable silence, but Mulan seemed strangely anxious and kept glancing at his teacup.

“Why do you keep looking at me?” he asked after the fifth time he caught her staring.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I just--” she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s _‘What happened last time.’_ If I tell you, will you promise not to laugh?”

“I’ll try,” he said, but he knew it was futile. A smile was already tugging at his lips.

Mulan took a deep breath. “The last time I tried to serve tea was at the matchmaker’s. My grandmother gave me a lucky cricket right before, and the cricket escaped and ended up in the matchmaker’s teacup. And then jumped down her dress.”

Shang tried to stifle his laughter as Mulan glared at him.

“You said you wouldn’t laugh!”

“I said I’d try!” He composed himself as much as possible before saying, “So, am I in imminent danger of a cricket attack?”

Blush rose on her cheeks. “I think we’re safe for now, but keep your eyes open, Captain.”

Soon thereafter, Shang set up the game he had brought, and breakfast was forgotten. They made it halfway through the game before a piercing shriek from the palace interrupted them.

“That’ll be the scullery maid. Poor girl. She shouldn’t have to deal with that,” said Mulan. She paused a moment. “We shouldn’t have had to deal with that.”

“Are you saying you regret helping the princess? It was your idea,” Shang asked, confused.

“No! I’m saying that Princess Jingfei shouldn’t have felt the need to cover it up so. She was so afraid, not because the guard was dead, but because he was in her room. So afraid that one little mistake would ruin her life,” she said, growing more impassioned with every word. “Nevermind the fact that the guard is just as culpable as she is. No matter what happens, it’s always a woman’s fault, always her honor at stake.”

She was pacing around their picnic spot now, gesticulating zealously to make her point.

“I know how it feels to be the disappointing daughter, the shameful she-devil. To be called disgraceful and dishonorable. And if I spared even just one girl from feeling that way, then this whole debacle was more than worth it.”

“I don’t think you’re any of those things,” said Shang, who had until this point been watching her in silent admiration.

Mulan snapped back to reality and sat down without looking at him, seemingly embarrassed by her outburst. “Well, that’s very kind of you to say, especially after I’ve made you listen to my rambling.”

“On the contrary, I quite enjoyed it. Perhaps we could do this again,” he said, offering a small smile.

“I’m leaving today. Soon, if I’m to make it home by nightfall,” she said wistfully. 

“Oh.” He hoped the disappointment in his voice wasn’t too obvious.

“But,” she said, picking at a loose thread on her sleeve, “if you were ever to stop by for a visit, we’d be happy to have you.”

“It would be my honor.”

Mulan looked as though she might say something, but was preempted by the sound of someone approaching. They turned to see Ling running toward them, Yao and Chien-Po trailing behind him.

“Captain! Ping--erm, Mulan!” he shouted. “Did you hear? Palace guard, found dead in his room.”

Mulan feigned a gasp at the same time Shang asked, “What happened?”

“No idea,” Ling panted. “Maid found him this morning. Total pandemonium. I got here as quick as I could.”

“That’s terrible,” said Mulan, rising to her feet and inching away from the group. “But I’ve really got to be going soon or else I’ll be riding home in the dark.”

She didn’t trust herself to be able to keep up the facade with Shang standing right there, a silent reminder of the guard’s actual death. Instead, she let herself be pulled into Chien-Po’s bone-crushing group hug, wished them all the best, and promised to write. Mulan was almost out of earshot when she turned around and caught Shang’s eye.

“I’ll see you later, then?” she asked.

He smiled. “Later.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for this fandom, so let me know how I did! :)  
> \--Brigitta


End file.
